Ralph Lauren has been focusing recently on expanding retail operations in emerging markets, especially in Asia. The Asian market has become a focal point of the global retail industry, with major brands across the globe aggressively expanding their footprint in the region. In 2015, Ralph Lauren's store presence in Asia was stronger than that in Europe. Compared to only 27 Ralph Lauren brand stores in Europe, it had more than double the number of stores - 58 - in Asia. However, the number of wholesale distribution channels in Asia in still minuscule compared to that in North America and Europe (128 vs 7,308 in the Americas and 5,311 in Europe). Going forward, there is tremendous scope for the company to expand its presence in wholesale stores in Asia.